Bible Commentaries

Psalms 108:6 — (Worthington) --- The Jews were abandoned over to cruel masters, as Doeg and Achitophel presently perished, Psalm li. 5. It was customary at trials, for a satan, or "adversary," to be stationed at the right hand of the accused, Zacharias iii. 1. (Calmet)

Psalms 140:3 — door." Nature has included the tongue within a double restraint of the teeth and lips, to counteract its too great volubility. (Theodoret) --- David prays that he may not be unguarded in his speech. He always spoke to Saul with the greatest respect, 1 Kings xxiv. 18. (Calmet) --- The lips must be like a door, neither always open, when we ought to be silent, nor always shut, when we should confess our sins. (Worthington)

Psalms 145:1 — prophets would thus exhort the people to trust in Providence, and to prefer his service before worldly cares. See Psalm cxxxvi. (Worthington) --- They might compose this psalm after Cyrus had revoked the permission to build the temple, (ver. 2., and 1 Esdras i. 3., and iv. 4.) as the following psalms seem all to have been sung at the dedication of the walls. (Calmet) --- This might be the case, but the titles afford but a slender proof, and David might write this to excite himself and people to confide

Psalms 71:15 — Arabia. Hebrew sheba, ver. 10. (Haydock) --- This was accomplished by the wise men. [Matthew ii.] (Eusebius) --- For him, (de ipso.) They shall adopt the form of prayer which he has taught, (St. Augustine) or they shall adore him on his own account. (Berthier) --- Through him we

Psalms 88:1 — was rather composed by one of the captives at Babylon who bewails the destruction of the kingdom of Juda, under Sedecias. After he had detailed the promises of God, (ver. 39.; Calmet) David might write it in the person (Haydock) of Ethan, or Idithun, 1 Paralipomenon xxv., and 3 Kings. iv. 31. (Worthington) --- Most of the Fathers explain it of Christ’s kingdom. See Psalm cxxxi. 11., and Jeremias xxxiii. 17. (Calmet) --- The sceptre or administration of affairs was to continue in the tribe of

Daniel 11:45 — the march beyond the Euphrates, which St. Jerome does not disapprove. Apadno may denote Mesopotamia, which is styled Padan Aram. --- Glorious. Hebrew: Zebi, (Calmet) or Tsebi, (Haydock) may allude to Mount Taba, where the king perished, without help. (1 Machabees vi. 11. and 2 Machabees ix. 9.) St. Jerome and many others explain all this of antichrist, and no doubt he was prefigured. The like events will probably take place again towards the end of the world. But as the particulars cannot be ascertained,

Daniel 3:1 — pillar. Some take it for Nabolpolassar, (Calmet) or for the king himself. (St. Jerome) (Worthington) --- But he never complains of the injury shewn to his own person, and therefore it probably was meant for Bel, the chief god. (Chap. iv. 5. and xiv. 1.) This nation adored statues. (Baruch vi. 3.) The Persians worshipped only the elements. (Calmet) --- Ochus first set up the statue of the goddess Tanais or Anais. (Clem. Protr.) --- Dura. Septuagint: "enclosed." (St. Jerome) --- This happened

Zephaniah 1:8 — Victim. Hebrew, "sacrifice." But Manuscript 1. Camb. has, "in that day, says the Lord," eeva nam being substituted for zebach, (Haydock) which is "a very remarkable variation." In ver. 7, it has Jehovah Elohim printed Adonai Jehovah. (Kennicott) --- Princes. After the death

Matthew 12:18 — Behold my servant, &c. The words are out of the prophet Isaias, Chap. xli. 1. And it is observed that the Jews, before the coming of Jesus, used to expound them of their Messias. (Witham) --- Our Lord Jesus Christ may be called the Servant of the Almighty, because, as himself assures us, he came down not to be served, but to

Matthew 28:20 — viz. integrity of doctrine, and sanctity of life; for, if either of these should be wanting to the Church, it might then be justly said, that she had been left and abandoned by Christ, her Spouse. (Estius) --- Jesus Christ will make good his promise: 1. by always dwelling in the hearts of the faithful; 2. by his sacramental presence in the holy Eucharist; 3. by his providential care, and constant protection to his holy Catholic Church. These last six lines of St. Matthew’s gospel, says the bright

Matthew 6:7 — Long prayer is not here forbidden; for Christ himself spent whole nights in prayer: and he sayeth, we must pray always; and the apostle, that we must pray without intermission, 1 Thessalonians v.; and the holy Church hath had from the beginning her canonical hours for prayer, but rhetorical and elaborate prayer, as if we thought to persuade God by our eloquence, is forbidden; the collects of the Church are most brief and most

Luke 3:19 — See in St. Mark vi. 17. The wife of his brother (Philip.) The Greek adds the name, and he is also named in St. Mark; but he is a different person from the tetrarch, mentioned in chap. iii. ver. 1. (Bible de Vence) --- It was not at this time that John [the Baptist] was cast

Acts 10:10 — There came upon him an ecstasy[1] of mind. This is the true sense by the Greek. I have never yet eaten any unclean thing. This seems to have happened, an. 35 [A.D. 35]. Till then the apostles followed the ceremonies of the law of Moses. It may seem strange that even St. Peter should

Acts 16:3 — because it was still lawful to observe the Jewish ceremonies, though the obligation of keeping the old law had ceased. (Witham) --- This St. Paul did in order to gain the Jews, and make Timothy acceptable to them. (Tirinus) --- To the Jew, says he, (1 Corinthians ix. 20.) I became a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. If he refused to circumcise Titus, in order to vindicate the Christian’s independence of the Mosaic ceremonies; he now submits to the observance of them, to shew there is nothing

2 Corinthians 9:15 — meant the incarnation of Christ. The fruit of alms-deeds is the increase of grace in all justice and good works to life everlasting; God granting these blessings for a reward and recompense of charitable works, which therefore are called the seed, (ver. 10. above) or meritorious cause of these spiritual fruits. [1] In omnem simplicitatem, Greek aploteta, upon which St. John Chrysostom says, Greek: om. k., aploteta ten dapsileian kalei, a plentiful abundance. ====================

Ephesians 3:2 — If yet [1] you have heard. If yet doth not imply a doubt, but is the same as, for you have heard the dispensation.[2] This word, dispensation, is divers times taken by St. Paul to signify the manner by which a thing is done, or put in execution; the sense therefore

2 Thessalonians 1:6 — Seeing [1] it is a just thing. Literally, If yet it be just. St. John Chrysostom takes notice, that we must not expound the text as if St. Paul made a doubt whether it was just or not for God to repay retribution to such as troubled, afflicted, and persecuted

2 Timothy 1:5 — desire of martyrdom in the perfect discharge of his ministry, by his own example; as the same writers think it most probable that he was confined in prison at Rome, or at Laodicea, at the time he wrote this epistle. (Denis the Carthusian) --- Certain [1] that in thee also. (Witham) =============================== [BIBLIOGRAPHY] Certus sum, Greek: pepeismai, persuasum habeo.

Hebrews 8:1 — Of the things spoken [1] the sum is. This word, sum, many expound, as if St. Paul said: I will sum up, and give you an abridgment or recapitulation of what I have said. But St. John Chrysostom and others, by the Greek would rather understand the chief, or greatest thing of

Wisdom of Solomon 51:1 — occasion to retire into Egypt, where Ptolemy Epiphanes was king. (Calmet) --- Others think (Haydock) that he was accused before Ptolemy Lagus, when he took Jerusalem. (Menochius) --- We know too little of his life to decide any thing. (Calmet) See chap. l. 1. (Haydock) --- Saviour. When we are not able to make a return, we must shew greater marks of gratitude, and particularly to God, for the favours which we have not deserved. (Worthington)